The Avatar and Catfish Gators
by Rixas
Summary: Avatar Aang has died. His reincarnation is supposed to be a Waterbender. However, the new Avatar is from...the swamp! Follow Leeroy and his catfish gator pet Erre as he masters the elements.
1. Chap 1: Catfish Gators Ain't the Avatar

Chapter One: Catfish Gators Ain't the Avatar

Disclaimer: I don't own A: TLA. Or really, the name Leeroy.

* * *

"I have bad news sir," spoke the young chief of the Southern Water Tribe. He was facing the last living member of the legendary group with the late Avatar Aang and didn't know how to break it to him.

"Yes, Kahn?" replied the old man.

"None of the newborn infants in the Southern Water Tribe are the reincarnation of Avatar Aang."

The old man sighed. Years of outliving his friends -and his love- put a heavy toll on him.

"What about the Northern Water Tribe?" he asked.

The chief shook his head.

"Not there either."

"Well, the reincarnation has to be SOMEHWHERE!" he croaked angrily.

The young chief backed off.

"What do you suppose we do about it, General Sokka?"

As a retired general, Sokka began to think. Where else could Waterbenders be? He had to remember from his journeys with Aang…

"Chief Kahn?"

"Yes?"

"Get my ship. I'm going to visit the swamp," Sokka replied.

* * *

"Ain't he the best? Got his ma's eyes and my hair. If only his ma was here," A brown-gray haired man held a newborn infant swaddled in leaves.

"What you gonna name 'im, Klum?" Klum's friend, Loz, asked.

"After his ma Leera. I shall name him Leeroy," Klum stated.

"Nice, nice. Y'know, my son is named Looey, after...well…I dunno, it seemed nice," Loz said.

"Klum! Klum! Yer gator is having a baby!" one of the men, Jum, ran to Klum. Jum was known as the village idiot.

"No way, Jum. Let me see!" Klum, with Leeroy, went over to his catfish gator in labor.

"But I thought Dru was a male," Klum said, surprised.

"Well, it's a fee- male and- oh here it comes!"

After a gruel, intense and rather nauseating labor, Dru the catfish gator was asleep and her baby snuggled up next to her.

"Huh. So Dru was a ma. Well, I love Dru so I'm a gonna keep the baby," Klum bent down to see the baby.

Just about when Jum and Loz were going to celebrate the two births, a yell shot through the swamp.

"What in the name of- who was that?" Klum demanded.

"Waaah!" Leeroy started to cry and Klum needed to know who woke his son up.

Out of the vines, tree roots and trees, stumbled a wrinkly old man wearing blue yelling,

"Been eighty years since I've been here and it still is annoying! Darn trees!" Sokka yelled.

Klum, Loz and Jum immediately looked at Sokka.

"Hey, what's the big idea, barging in on us like that. Look, now you woke my baby boy up," Klum said, angrily.

Sokka got up and squinted his eyes.

"You must be the swamp people! Waterbenders! I remember when I first came here eighty years ago with Aang, oh boy did we see-,"

"Swamp people? We like to be called them Waterbenders too, you know!" Klum corrected Sokka.

Loz stopped Sokka's rambling and blabbering and exclaimed,

"You knew Avatar Aang? Wow!"

Sokka nodded.

"Now…youngsters, you must have some babies around here? Infants? Squirming, drooling newborns?" Sokka looked around.

"Why?" Jum asked stupidly. Loz elbowed his gut.

"Avatar Aang passed away, and we need to find his reincarnation soon."

Silence was all he got from the three men.

Sokka slid his wrinkled hand down his old, craggy face.

"Avatar dead. New Avatar is baby," Sokka shortened his sentence.

Klum laughed.

"Why didn't ya just say so? Here's my son, Leeroy. Loz, get Looey."

"I'll get the catfish gator baby!" Jum's stupidity earned him another elbow in the gut.

"You dumb poop smelling lizard, catfish gators ain't gonna be the Avatar!" Klum told him.

Jum looked down in shame and put the catfish gator baby back with Dru.

Looey and Leeroy were put in front of Sokka. Luckily, behind Sokka, was the wheelbarrow load of toys, carried by Chief Kahn.

"I'm about to witness finding the reincarnation of the new Avatar. Maybe then I'll go peacefully," hoped the old, retired general. He placed the toys in front of Looey and Leeroy and waited.

"Now," Sokka faced towards Klum, Jum and Loz. "You can't tell him that he's the Avatar until he's sixteen. Try to avoid all questions about the Avatar, and-,"

Sokka turned around and stopped to look at the baby who picked the same toys as the previous Avatars.

It was Leeroy.

"Mmm, Avatar Leeroy has a nice…ring to it, huh Loz?" Klum bragged to Loz and Jum.

"Yup. Avatar Leeroy," chimed Loz.

* * *

Yes, I meant to spell words wrong. I give credit to the LJ community capslock-atla, because without them, Leeroy would have never been born. And it would be that catfish gator who would be the Avatar!


	2. Chapter Two: Avatar in the Swamp!

Chapter Two: Avatar in the Swamp!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. Just...this story.

* * *

The swamp bubbles popped, releasing a huge amount of gas and made the stinky swamp even smellier.

"Hey Leeroy, whatcha doing, buddy?" A tall, skinny man with a hat over his head stood over a younger person.

"Nothing Looey," replied Leeroy, watching the swamp.

Looey sat down next to Leeroy.

"Y'know, bud, they's still searching for that…guy…y'know, with them bending powers that he can learn besides…"

"The Avatar?" Leeroy filled in his friend's sentence.

Looey guffawed.

"Yeah, the Avatar! Too bad Avatar Aang is dead though. Did ja know he once visited this swamp here? He lost his…d'yuuh...ya know…that bison thingy."

Leeroy chuckled at his slow friend.

"Leeroy! Looey! Time to eat some food!" called Leeroy's father, Klum.

"Time for dinner! I wonder what Pa got," Leeroy wondered as he and Looey head on over to the fire. He could smell the smoke.

"I caught some of dem fish lizards. Sneaky things, almost got me tripped over a rock," Klum laughed along with his buddies.

The men started to cut up the fish lizards as Leeroy got handed a small wooden plate with the piece of fish lizard.

Looey started to dig in, not caring about manners.

Leeroy ate his slowly. This foggy swamp was his home. His tribe lived off the land and respected it.

"What's the matter, Lee-roy?" Looey said, upbeat.

"Ain't nothing, Looey. Lemme eat in peace," he said.

"Aww geez, Leeroy, don't be acting like that. Lighten up. Them fish lizards are hard to catch. Plus, your pa caught them," Looey explained.

Leeroy nodded.

"Anyway, who doesn't want to live like us? Eating the fish lizards, living in huts…it's wonderful, ain't it Leeroy?" Looey asked Leeroy's opinion.

"Yuh huh," he agreed.

The two boys ate their fish lizards, savoring every bite.

Klum was sitting on the log opposite Leeroy and Looey watching Leeroy eat his dinner.

Loz sat down besides Klum and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Ya need to tell your boy sooner or later, Klum," Loz pointed out.

"Ah know, but…he's going to be away from me. I know he ain't a little kid anymore but…" Klum said, sadly.

"Think 'bout it this way. Your son is the Avatar. A. Vah. Tar. He gonna have to go places to learn…uhh…other bendin' types, I think," Loz placed his index finger on his bearded chin.

Klum smiled a little as he saw his son chatting with Looey. He got up from the log and walked on over to Leeroy.

"Son?" Klum asked.

"Yeah, Pa?" Leeroy responded.

"I need to…talk to ya in private. No offence Looey," he said.

"None taken, Klum," Looey grinned.

Klum took his son away from the people and huts and by the swampy water.

"What did you want to say, Pa?" Leeroy asked him.

Klum struggled with the lump in his throat, those three little words.

"Leeroy…you're the Avatar." Actually, that was four words but close enough to three.

Leeroy blinked.

"You're joking. Righ'?" Leeroy said, surprised.

Klum shook his head.

"But…Pa…I can't even waterbend that well like you and Looey. So how am I gonna be an Avatar?" Leeroy felt overwhelmed.

Klum gave him a warm smile.

"Looey could teach you. He is pretty good."

Leeroy looked to the side.

"Would Looey believe me, Pa?"

Klum nodded.

"He will."

Leeroy hugged his dad as he ran to his friend to tell him. Klum let out a sigh of satisfaction. That wasn't so hard, was it?

* * *

"Looey! Looey! Guess what!" Leeroy practically scared the living daylights of out Looey.

"Jeez, you're as hoppy as a rabid swamp possum, Leeroy," Looey noticed.

"Looey, you ain't ever goin' to believe me but I'm the Avatar!"

Looey dropped his jaw.

"Yer kidding, right?" Looey stared at him in disbelief.

"Nope. You gotta teach me waterbending, Looey," Leeroy stated.

"Me? Really? I would be so…hmm…" Looey couldn't think of the word "honored".

Leeroy grinned.

"Start teaching me, Looey," Leeroy said impatiently.

The two sixteen year olds (they clearly looked like men though), went to the swamp side.

"Now, you see here this water, right Leeroy? Well ya just…I ain't good with word, lemme show you," Looey started to swivel his arms slowly so Leeroy could see.

The water started to elevate upwards and as Looey continued to rotate his arms and wrists, the water started to part in the middle as Leeroy watched in amazement.

"Now, follow me, Leeroy," Looey lead.

Leeroy imitated Looey but he still didn't get the hang of it. His water was up but it was wobbly and bubbly and just…weird looking. Leeroy looked disappointed.

"It's 'kay Leeroy. Ya just a need some practice," Looey tried to bring his spirits up.

"Nah. I don't know if I'm cut out fer all this Avatar stuff, Looey," Leeroy drooped like a wilted flower.

Looey stared at him toughly.

"You is gonna learn how to Waterbend, even if it takes years!" Looey declared.

Leeroy was going to try again but he instantly saw a figure limping through the leaves. Looey looked in the same direction, wondering.

It was Leeroy's father, Klum, with a bleeding leg.

"Leeroy!" Klum stumbled on the ground. Leeroy ran to him and sat down on the ground, observing his wound.

"Pa! What happened?" Leeroy asked him, alarmed.

Klum clenched his teeth in pain.

"Giant…tigerfish gator…near Erre and was...'bout to eat 'im," he spoke sporadically.

"I'll get some leaves and that wound paste," Looey ran off to his hut and left the father and son.

"Leeroy…tigerfish gators are…venny-mous and well…I ain't gonna be in this swamp fer long. Leeroy…I just want to let you know…" Klum said, depressed.

"Pa, don't talk like that. Looey said he'd get some-,"

"Leeroy, it ain't gonna help. I want to let you know…"

Leeroy leaned in.

"Yeah, Pa?"

Klum smiled while saying,

"I want you to…have Erre. Take 'im with you on yer…journey."

Leeroy nodded. It was considered a way of manhood when a son is given the family catfish gator. Erre happened to be his family pet. Dru had long since died.

"Klum! I got my pa and the stuff!" Looey and Loz came to Klum's aid.

Leeroy shook his head sadly.

"Sorry…but it ain't gonna work," he whispered.

"Leeroy, I'm a proud of you boy, and I think yer gonna make a fine Avatar. Make me proud son."

* * *

Loz held the boat steady as they carried the body of Klum to it. The men were in silence as they paid their respects for him and Leeroy was watching his deceased father being placed in the boat.

"We will all miss Klum, as he was the best fish lizard catcher there ever done was. He's lived on by his son Leeroy, who we all know is the Ava-tar. We send 'im down this boat so he can sail to that place he can be happy," Loz ended his speech.

The men pushed the boat down the swampy river as Leeroy, Loz and Looey watched the boat until it became a small black dot.

"Well, Leeroy, whatcha gonna do now?" Loz asked Leeroy.

Leeroy looked up at the trees covering the sky, thought for a moment and said,

"No point for me stayin' here. I'm a gonna respect my pa's wishes and take Erre here and go."

Looey looked stunned.

"You're gonna leave?" he asked.

Leeroy shook his head, smiling.

"Naw, Looey. _We_ are leaving." He said with a toothy grin.

Looey looked to his father for permission.

Loz sighed, rubbing his bearded chin.

"I s'pose. Leeroy needs to learn his waterbendin'," he replied.

Looey grinned.

"Well, we better pack, Leeroy. I'm guessin' we gotta be prepared, huh?" Looey asked his friend.

Leeroy nodded.

"Yup."

* * *

Sorry it wasn't that funny. I promise the next chapter will keep you laughing until you fall off your chair. Or bed...or whatever you sit on while reading this :) 


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